Tremie



T. CTLUTZ.

TREMIE.

APPLICATIONHLED OCT-26,1918- Patented Dec. 28

i i 1 m y K W www W THEODORE C. LUTZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TREMIE.

Specification of T 0 all whome't may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE C. LUTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tremies, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is particularly designed for laying concrete slabs or bottom walls under water though obviously it may be applied to similar purposes above water such as for example the laying of concrete road beds. The purpose for which my invention is designed has been subserved by tremie pipes which extend down in the water nearly to the bottom on which the concrete is to be deposited and through which the mixed concrete is conveyed to the position it is to occupy. The tremie pipe is first filled with concrete, placed in the water with its concrete contents and lifted, allowing the concrete to run through the pipe and accumulate substantially in the site which it is to occupy. The movement of the concrete through the water has the very substantial disadvantage of permitting the water to enter the concrete mass and wash it, separating the cement and causing the concrete to be porous and not thoroughly set in the cement. By means of my improved construction, on the other hand, the concrete is protected from the water until it reaches its final position and there is no movement whatever of the same in contact with the body of water under which it is laid. Thus the concrete forms the same dense body which is characteristic of properly made concrete laid on land or in the air. Furthermore my invention provides means for progressively laying a slab or body of concrete under water by a continuous and uninterrupted operation. This latter function and operation is found to be equally advantageous in laying concrete above water or on dry land.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown and in the following specification described in detail a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood, however, that the specific disclosure is for the purpose of exemplification only and that the scope of the invention is defined in the following claims in which I have endeavored to distinguish it from the prior art so far as known to me without however relinquishing or abandoning my portion or feature thereof.

Let r P n Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Serial No. 259,757.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred form of my invention, parts being shown in section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2' is a vertical transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Each part is identified by the same reference character wherever it appears in the several views.

In general terms my improved construction comprises a row of vertical tubes which open into a common horizontal channel at their top and into a similar channel at their bottom, the series of tubes being formed into an integral structure which may be progressively advanced in a direction transverse to the row and continuously fed with concrete which is deposited upon the bottom of the body of water, road bed or the like as the device is drawn forward, leaving the desired thickness of concrete as it proceeds. In the drawings 1 have shown the tremie as constructed substantially of timber though metal or other suitable materials may be used. The tremie comprises a front wall 4 and rear wall 5 which are of a height to ex tend from the bottom on which the concrete is to be laid to a point substantially above the level of the water in the event that the device is to be used for laying concrete under water. here the water is shallow or where the concrete is to be laid out of water the tremie should still have a suificient height to provide a substantial pressure upon the concrete at the bottom of the columns in the tubes. The front and rear walls are of a width which depends upon the width of the slab of concrete to be laid. The walls are spaced a sufiicient distance apart to provide for the ready flow of a sufficient volume of concrete through the tubes to lay a slab of the required thickness when the tremie is moved at the desired speed and also to avoid undue friction with the concrete which would relive the pressure at the lower end of the tremie. The front wall 1 of the tremie extends to the bottom upon which the concrete is to be laid and a forwardly projecting base or flange 6 connected to said wall 5 serves as a support and, in connection with the means now to be described, to level off the bottom upon which the slab is to be laid. The forward edge of the flange or base 6 is provided with a sharp edged iron or other shoe 7 upon which rests a forwardly directed series of jet pipes 8 which are connected by vertical pipes 9 and a manifold 1'0 with a source of water under pressure. As the device moves forward the jets of water out off any masses of earth or the like projecting above the bottom, and the flange 6, with the further forward progress of thedevice, substantially levels the bottom and prepares it for the reception of the concrete slab.

The rear wall 5 of the tremie ends a distance above the lower end of the front wall 4 dependent upon the depth of the slab of concrete to be laid. Wall 5 is likewise provided with a flange or base 11 which projects rearwardly from the wall, and at the angle 12 between said wall and flange a shoe 13 of iron or other metal prevents excess wear. The flanges or bases 6, 11 are maintained in proper angular position by braces 14, 15 respectively.

Certain of the advantages of my invention might-be h-ad'by using the tremie as thus described with the space between the walls forming one continuous conduit. But in order to secure greater uniformity in the slab said space is subdivided into a series of tubes 16 by means of transverse walls or partitions 17. Between each pair of adjacenttubes or conduits is a dead space 18 the walls of which converge at top and bottom as at 19,, 20 to form flared inlets and outlets to the respective channels or tubes, anda trough with inclined sides 21, 22 extends the width of the tremie and communicates with the flared inlets of each of the tubes or conduits. Any suitable means may be provided for maintaining the supply of concrete to the trough but I have shown the: tremie as equipped with a pair of rails 23 upon which a car for charging the tubes with concrete may travel.

shown for this purpose vertical strips 24: bolted at suitable intervals outside said walls and transverse strips 25, 26, 27, 28 extending across the vertical strips.

In use the tremie is lowered into the body of water beneath which the slab is to be laid,,. the base or fianges'ti, 11 suitably loaded with sand bags or other ballast as at 29, 30, the jets 8 are supplied with water under a suitable head and the conduits and trough supplied with: concrete. The device is then The walls may be braced in any suitable way, and I have slowly drawn forward, the jets cutting ofi upward projections from the bottom and the flange 6 smoothing and preparing the bottom for the deposition of a layer of concrete thereon. The concrete slowly moves down through the conduits and forms the slab or bed the thickness of which is regulated by the distance of the flange 11 above the flange 6. Flange 11 smooths and solidifies the top surface of the concrete. The height of the column of concrete in the conduits maintains a constant pressure at the lower end of the tremie and the dense concrete substantially prevents the entrance of water from the body under which the slab is being laid. The concrete is continuously supplied to the tremie as it -moves forward and is laid in position at the bottom of the tremie and smoothed and compacted by the flange 11 before it comes into contact with the body of water after which there is no further movement of the concrete. Thus as dense a slab of concrete may be laid under water as above the same and the operation of laying the concrete is continuous and its rapidity substantially limited only by the speed with which the device can be drawn forward and supplied with concrete. Obviously if desired a concrete mixerv of any desired or approved form could be mounted directly on the tremie so as to move with the same, and this is true whether the device be used for under or above water work.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, front and rear walls, the front wall extending below the rear wall, jet pipes extending forward of the front wall and adapted to level the botton on which the concrete is laid.

2. In a device of the class described, a conduit having front and rear walls, a flange extending forwardly of the front wall, a series of jet pipes directed forwardly from said flange, and means for supplying the jet pipes with water.

3. In a device of the class described, front and rear walls, vertical conduits with flared entering and exit ends formed between said front and rear walls and communicatingv with a common supply trough and a common exit.

THEODORE C. LUTZ. 

